1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a novel transfer/recording paper cartridge and a novel recording apparatus using the transfer/recording paper cartridge and, more specifically, to a novel transfer/recording paper cartridge capable of handling recording paper and retaining transfer paper in combination, of facilitating loading a recording apparatus with the recording paper and the transfer paper and removing the recording paper and the transfer paper from the recording apparatus, of facilitating storing the remnant recording paper and transfer paper, of avoiding the wrong combination of recording paper and transfer paper, feeding the recording paper in a wrong position and touching the recording paper with the fingers and the like and of being mounted on a recording apparatus at an appropriate position by an automatic cartridge loading mechanism, and to a recording apparatus using the transfer/recording paper cartridge for recording.
2. Description of the Prior Art (FIG. 22)
In most recording operations of a recording apparatus, such as a printer, the ink of an inked transfer paper is transferred to a recording paper. In a video printer a shown in FIG. 22, as printing paper b is wound around a platen, not shown, an ink ribbon c is placed with an ink layer formed thereon in contact with the surface of the printing paper b, the printing paper b and the ink ribbon c are fed synchronously, and a thermal print head, not shown, is pressed against the ink ribbon c to transfer the ink from the ink ribbon c to the printing paper b for printing.
Also shown in FIG. 22 are a paper feed tray d containing printing papers b, and an ink ribbon cartridge e comprising a case f, a feed spool g carrying the coiled ink ribbon c and supported for rotation within the case f, and a winding spool h fixedly holding the leading end of the ink ribbon c and supported for rotation within the case f. The paper feed tray d containing the printing papers b is inserted detachably in a tray receiving unit i to load the paper feed unit of the video printer a with the printing papers b. The ribbon cartridge e is inserted in an ink ribbon receiving unit j to load the video printer a with the ink ribbon c.
A cartridge integrally having a transfer paper container and a recording paper container, and a printer designed for use such a cartridge are propose in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,513 to facilitate changing the transfer paper and replenishing the recording paper container unit with recording papers.
Conventional recording apparatus, such as the video printer a, has the following disadvantages.
The printing papers b must be placed in the paper feed tray d beforehand, and all the printing papers b must be placed in the paper feed tray d with their right sides facing the right direction. Accordingly, the preparation for printing operation requires much troublesome work.
Generally, the printing surfaces of the printing papers b are finished by a chemical process and hence it is desirable to avoid soiling the printing surfaces with hand grease or the like. However, since the printing papers b are handled directly by hand, it is likely that the printing surfaces of the printing papers b will be soiled with hand grease causing incorrect printing.
The video printer a may be provided with malfunction preventive means capable of detecting the loading of the printing papers b on the video printer a with their printing surfaces facing in the wrong direction and for carrying out a predetermined procedure of avoiding malfunction to prevent incorrect printing. However, such malfunction preventive means increases the cost of the recording apparatus considerably.
A recording apparatus of such a kind must use recording papers and a transfer paper pertaining to the recording papers in combination; otherwise, the recording apparatus is unable to carry out the printing operation or, even if the recording apparatus could carry out the printing operation, the recording apparatus is unable to operate satisfactorily. Since the conventional recording apparatus is loaded separately with recording papers and a transfer paper, it is possible that the recording apparatus is loaded with recording papers and a transfer paper of the wrong combination. Particularly, if remnant recording papers are mixed in with recording papers of a different kind in storing the remnant recording papers, wrong recording papers are used in combination with a transfer paper.